150 charges laid after undercover officers bought guns, cocaine and stolen vehicles in sting operations
Posted March 27, 2024 12:32 pm.
Last Updated March 27, 2024 6:53 pm.
Toronto police have arrested seven people and laid 150 charges after undercover officers infiltrated alleged organized crime networks to purchase guns, cocaine, and stolen vehicles in two separate but connected sting operations.
Project Spectre began in April 2023 when Toronto Police Service’s Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force and Firearms Enforcement Unit began investigating a network allegedly dealing guns and drugs.
In a release Wednesday, Toronto Police said “undercover officers successfully purchased six firearms and more than 200 grams of cocaine.”
They also gleaned enough information to launch a second probe, dubbed Project Paranoid, focusing on the trafficking, shipping and re-vinning of stolen vehicles.
Re-vinning is the alteration of a stolen vehicle’s Vehicle Identification Number (V.I.N.) to make it appear legitimate.
In total, investigators say 48 stolen vehicles were seized worth an estimated $3.75 million.
Twenty of the vehicles were found at a shipper location in Burlington with help from Halton Regional Police, five were purchased by undercover officers, three were seized during search warrants and another 20 were intercepted in Toronto and Montreal with assistance from Canada Border Service Agency officers.
“Several businesses in the Greater Toronto Area were also identified as locations where stolen motor vehicles were stored and sold prior to being shipped overseas, or being re-vinned and registered to be re-sold in Ontario,” a release states.
Police announced the following charges:
Beka Suarishvili, 26 , is charged with:
- Traffic in Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 10
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 for the purpose of Trafficking x 2
- Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence x 2
- Traffic in Schedule I substance x 6
- Transfer Prohibited Weapon x 3
- Possess Loaded Firearm x 3
- Possession of a Prohibited Device knowing its Possession is Unauthorized
- Possession of a Firearm contrary to a Prohibition Order x 3
Sadyk Sadykov, 39, is charged with:
- Traffic in Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 10
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 for the purpose of Trafficking x 8
- Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence x 6
- FTC Release Order x 1
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 1
- Alter VIN x 1
- Utter Forged Document x 1
- Traffic in Schedule 1 Substance x 2
- Traffic in Firearm x 2
- Possession of Prohibited Device x 2
- Possess Firearm while Prohibited x 2
Igor Larionov, 30, is charged with:
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 for the Purpose of Trafficking x 5
- Traffic in Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 5
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 2
- Conspiracy to Commit Indictable Offence x 4
Ali Eren Poyraz, 31, is charged with:
- Possession of Property obtained By Crime over $5,000 for the Purpose of Trafficking X22
- Traffic in Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 21
- Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence x 11
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 1
Vitaly Khalimov, 35, is charged with:
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 for the Purpose of Trafficking x 2
- Traffic in Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 2
- Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence x 2
- Alter VIN x 1
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 1
Intizar Gasimov, 40, is charged with:
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 1
- Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence x 1
Jose (Galio) Furtunato, 25, is charged with:
- Traffic in Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000 x 1
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime for the Purpose of Trafficking x 1
- Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence x 1